AILING SEA TURTLE HEADS TO SEAWORLD FOR CARE

San Diego 
A green sea turtle that washed ashore sick and injured on an Oregon beach in June will be transported to SeaWorld in San Diego on Tuesday to undergo the long-term care it needs to be returned to the sea.

The turtle is at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, where it was taken after being found June 18. The animal was comatose and dehydrated, with hypothermia, and had injuries to its shell. The aquarium stabilized the turtle’s condition.

The animal will be placed aboard a Navy C-2 aircraft Tuesday in Eugene and flown to San Diego as part of a scheduled training flight.

“We do long-term care here, and we’re going to get the turtle’s weight up and get it healthy,” said David Koontz, marketing director at SeaWorld on Mission Bay. “When we’re done, the turtle will be released to the sea, possibly next July, when the water is the right temperature.”

SeaWorld has years of experience rehabilitating sick and injured animals, including green sea turtles, which can grow 3 feet to 4 feet long and weigh more than 400 pounds.